Will Matt Luke Improve Clemson's Defense in Year One?

how much improvement do you guys legitimately think Matt Luke will get out of the offensive line this season I'm G let I'm gon let Brian take that one first putting me on the spot here that was completing another flowers.com no um I think he inherited a mess and I think when you have guys who has experienced a lot of injury a lot of inconsistency a lack of continuity due to all the afor mentioned stuff I think that we need to temper that's what I'm doing that's how I'm approaching Clemson now like you know all talking points all stirring the pot points this side I'm approaching Clemson with very tempered expectations I don't think they're going to go six and six or any like that but I I'm approaching it like this show me just show me I I think you're going to see definitely Improvement uh if this unit can stay healthy they can stay healthy get past the Georgia game hopefully with a good showing I think that by the end of this season you could see something really special you could see a more dominant running attack because I mean think about it mafa has to create his own running Lanes a lot so thank God we have him yeah but I think that I do think that barring injury you will as the season progresses you're I think you're going to see some really good uh um improvements but right off the bat I'm just having I'm just having to back myself off because I want to be I want to be overly zealous because Matt Luke is there I was so shocked that they went after him and we need more of those guys on the offensive side of the football and and by the way that proves that Clemson can get those types of coaches still and we should uh but even with him being a brilliant expert probably even Georgia fans you know how mouy a lot of Georgia fans are like they'll be like yeah I think Clemson is trash but Matt Luke is unbelievable y'all got a good one so I'm having to temper my expectations they will be improved but I I'm just trying to chill out at the beginning of the season because I think they're going to have some Growing Pains uh I'm with you man and it's it's going to be a I think the good thing is I think from a body to physical body type stample at least with your your starting five and some of the younger guys um as well I think you're in a better spot than you were in in years past I think you have some some physical movers I mean you know Blake Miller you know in the Run game he when he's healthy I mean the guy can the guy can you know he's tough to to move um and he moves people especially in the Run game walker Parks when he's healthy um you know I think Ryan lyam with you know the the battle at Center has been interesting and we could probably spend a whole another hour talking about that and how important that is but I think he's done the the things he needs to do to get his body right uh but we'll we'll see again it's it's show me um but then even the younger guys that you know that we don't expect to start the Colin sadlers the Ian Reeds who unfortunately is out for the year but I think he can eventually get there um you know Dietrich Pennington who I don't I I I maybe we get something out of him at some point maybe you know Matt Luke is the guy that that kind of gets him to turn it around but you have you know it's it's not an overly deep group we don't we know that for sure but I think what you have with this starting five I think Matt Luke has something to work with and then and I think you have enough pieces in some young uh in some other spots to you know for the future because you know a lot of these guys still have eligibility um you know Tristan lay and Marcus Tate uh and I think Ryan Lum has like two years it feels like he's been here forever but I think he actually has two years left of Eligibility I mean I think Walker Parks has gone and Blake Miller who I've seen on a ton of you know mock drafts we'll see how that goes I've seen him in in the first round in in quite a few but I he's he is talented um so you know I think you have some of that and uh thank you Adam for mentioning Elijah Thurman I he completely skipped my mind but he's a guy that they've been raving about um all offseason so I mean you have some good young pieces to build around and as as Matt Luke kind of builds his Rapport and gets his foothold especially from a recruiting standpoint I think you know the future of the we'll see the future of this uh room kind of um shape out a little bit more optimistic than maybe we we felt in the past yeah uh I got a good one and you know this one kind of was struck up when we were talking to Brian like I I talked about Blake Miller you know when talking about the offensive line uh bog or cell Blake Miller has a first team all ACC season at least you know maybe all American we'll see and gets drafted in the first round who oh that's that's that's lofty goals right there um I mentioned it because I've seen him in my drafts like he he's getting a lot of love from I think he has the potential to make it happen um he's been a really good player from Clemson pretty much since he showed up on campus uh has been a constant contributor for the tigers um and I think with the addition of Luke and just the energy that I'm feeling from the offensive line this year I will go by on that I think Blake Miller is gonna have an exceptional season um I'm not 100% uh for sure he'll go I think he'll have uh an all ACC type season um at the tackle position I do believe that um the one thing that gives me pause is is the first round of the draft I don't really know if that's gonna happen uh so I'm I'm kind of back and forth on that but out of sheer just hoping um not only for Blake Miller would that be great but it'd be great for Clemson um to get a guy in the first round at the offensive line position so out of just hoping it and putting it out in the world and and hopefully it happens I will go by on Blake Miller being an all ACC selection come season's end well so I also did include the first round part but yeah the first round I'm I'm throwing the first round in there reluctantly throwing the first round in there yeah I so I'm I'm gonna go again I'm I'm gonna sell um but I I do think the potential is absolutely there but you know last season you know he had his moment I don't think he was completely healthy last year they didn't really they didn't really show their hand as far as what you know the injuries were but I you could tell you could tell at times last year that that Blake was laboring a little bit more than he was as a freshman I don't think he was completely healthy right um I so I I do think he has a bounceback year and but you know I think it's the getting drafted in the first round thing that that gives me pause yeah that that I've seen it but and I included that because I saw saw it in and I've seen it in in mock drafts he's one of the like he's like the top two or three tackles in in in projected right now in the draft like you've got the two LSU guys and then you've got Blake Miller and I'm like oh wow okay um so like you because of that I do want to sell uh but I am going to will it into existence Jordan I I like it I'm going to keep saying it and will it into existence until it happens uh at least that's my plan Tigs gets in here uh and says will the o line be able to consistently slow down the pass rush hey thingss there in lies the the the the huge another huge question for the offense heading into 2024 right how much improved is this offensive line gonna be how much can we expect for Matt Luke to be able to affect this offensive line one it's going to Hing on health of this offensive line can can they stay healthy that'll be first and foremost starting five because yeah the the starting five have to stay healthy uh we cannot rely on some of this unproven depth at the offensive line position and be successful this year I don't think uh the other big question I think is at the center position Ryan lithicum is still ahead um obviously you got Harris Su there you got um Trent Howard there looks like looks like Ryan lithum is going to be the guy starting the season um so how well does he play right how well does do we fill that void that will putam left as a multi-year starter for us um that's a huge hole to fill so again I think with the offensive line it really hinges on health and and how well that Center position uh comes along especially early on in the season absolutely and I think uh getting you know obviously being you know being a right-handed quarterback tackle is absolutely Paramount so yeah um you know Tristan lay you know taking that jump and and you know he another former five star the highest rated offensive lineman Clemson has ever signed um you know either him or Jackson Cartman I can't I I don't I don't have I can't remember exactly I think it's Tristan lay because I feel like he was like 14th or 15th in the country something like that overall um but I might be wrong about that but so but still former five star guy you know guy that came in had some developing to do you know from his body and and just a preparation standpoint and now he got to the point last year where they they put him in and he was a starter um for most of the games for the majority of the games but he still but he had some uh he had some games where Colin sadder came in and played so now it's about he is the guy I think he I think it's he's he is the guy that they are going to be relying on that left tackle he needs to make that jump and then Blake Miller on the opposite side I think he needs to have a bounce back year and that's you know we talked about that in byog or cell you know that's your tackle positions when we're talking about pass rush are Paramount and as you mentioned you know the center position if you're losing at Center it you're going to get beat in everything you do if you if if you're losing reps at Center you know the play is dead a lot of the time unless you're unless it's like a screen or or something like you're you're getting blown up in in the Run game and you know from you got you got you got no shot to run an offense period if you're getting consistent pressure up the middle yeah it's it's imposs you can't run an offense yeah um because it should you have no time for any sort of play to develop whatsoever um so that Center position um is just Paramount um typically that's the guy that calls out the protection typically that's the guy that you know is making sure everybody um in that in that F in those five offensive linemen know the protection and know what they're doing and you know he he's the one that identifies blitzes a lot of times along with the quarterback and things like that but that Center position is is is is so Paramount uh when it comes to you know anchoring an offensive line and that that's why it's you know such an important position and and you know you feel good when you got a multi-year starter there and you know like this year heading into 2024 we we don't feel great because regardless of who starts it's it's going to be their first year starting at Center and there's always Growing Pains specifically with that position along the offensive line second time in a row we're we're opening up with a new center against Georgia Good Times yeah not really what you want to do but uh again I think you're in a better position this time around still it's not great Georgia has a great defensive line but thankfully their 2024 at least the interior part of their defensive line is not what it was when we opened up with them last time yeah thankfully not that it's it's still pretty good but really good there's no Jordan Davis or Devonte Wyatt on defensive they don't have those dudes out there anymore thankfully but um good Lord man they they still they still got five stars rolling through uh like it's nobody's business so um Still Still offensive Line's going to have their their work cut out for them that is for sure